Our Nephew John, who flew to
Campbell River, joined us aboard
Got d’
Fever for our continued cruise southward along the Strait of Georgia.
Our first stop was at Comox, where we tied-up
at the Harbour Authority docks and then walked to Filberg Park.
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| The Filberg House |
Located on the east side of town, Filberg
Park includes the historic home of Robert and Florence Filberg built between
1930 and 1932.
Robert Filberg began his
career in the Comox Logging & Railway Company and rose to the position of
president of Comox Logging and also Canadian Western.
On his 9-acre property, Mr. Filberg planted
trees obtained from all over the world, which have now reached majestic
heights.
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| The Filberg Park |
The grounds are lovely
including walkways and stone walls.
Deer
frequent the park and there is a petting farm for children along with a dairy
building of log construction.
The
following day we continued south, transiting the channel between Vancouver
Island and Denman Island.
A cable ferry
runs between Buckley Bay and Denman Island across the channel.
When the light at each ferry terminal shows
red, boaters should stop and wait before traveling across the ferry lane until
the lights have turned green.
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| Buckley Bay Cable Ferry (note the green light) |
Cables are
attached to both shores and the ferry is propelled along these wire cables with
the use of the ferry engine.
The cables have a considerable amount of slack built into them in order to
sink below the surface as the ferry moves away.
While some boats may technically be able to safely
pass over the cables, a boat dead in the water would pose a problem for the
ferry which cannot change course.
We
approached just as the lights turned red and had only a short wait before the
lights turned green again.
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| Beautiful Chrome Lighthouse |
Next we
passed the beautiful lighthouse on Chrome Island and circled around to the
north between Denman Island and Hornby Island.
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| Harbour Authority Docks at Ford Cove on Hornby Island |
Our destination was Ford Cove on the west side of Hornby Island with
plans to research the area and check out the Harbour Authority docks.
The docks, located behind a shoal and rock
breakwater, were recently extended to accommodate more boats.
A cute, well-stocked grocery store is located
upland in addition to a seasonal fish & chips hut overlooking the harbour.
The area has numerous hiking-biking trails
divided into sections with a lower, middle, and upper trail system.
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| Trail to Shingle Spit and Thatch Pub |
A 2-mile trail from the marina along the
shore leads northward to Shingle Spit and the popular Thatch Pub.
The beautiful forested trail is a nice
opportunity for a walk or pleasant bike ride.
During the summer months, Thatch Pub offers a dock for dinghies and
other small draft boats if you want to arrive by water.
The pub has a dining area, bar area, and
outdoor deck overlooking the pier with lovely beach views.
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| Fun times at Thatch Pub on Hornby Island |
We were pleasantly surprised by the good food
and lively activity found at the pub.
We
also learned that an Island Bus Service is starting up as an experiment with the
idea that tourists would be able to see more of the island during the summer
months.
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| Beautiful Views from Thatch Pub, Hornby Island |
The idea of attending the
Farmer’s Market located inland for example, or be able to participate in the
annual Hornby Island Festival (early August with notable musicians and other
activities) would certainly be a treat for visitors arriving by boat.
We hope the experiment works, Hornby Island
is an interesting place off the beaten path.
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